Pet feeders equipped with animal-controlled covers are known in the prior art. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,419 where the weight of the feeding animal on a treadle operates a feeding bowl cover through a linkage.
The object of the present invention is to provide a greatly simplified, more compact and less expensive pet feeder having apertured cover plates which are influenced by gravity to normally closed level positions where the food in the feeder is protected. When a pet seeking food thrusts its snout into the feeder, the cover plates are engaged and swing toward open vertical positions to thereby expose the food for consumption. Following withdrawal of the pet's snout, the hinged cover plates return automatically to their closed level positions. The apertures in the cover plates allow the pet to smell the food from a distance.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following description.